editor’s notes

“…I would like to congratulate all of the poets from the east to the west who entered our “Poet-Tree” contest. As promised, the winners who met the deadline will see their poem and picture published nationally in rolling out. We received over 300 poems from poets ranging in ages from 15-52, nationalities ranging from Mexican to Ghanaian and many different religions and creeds…

…This week’s winner is poet Dennis Francis of Saint Albans, New York. Francis’ poem, submitted in the form of four haiku, speaks to important topics in both our community and the nation as a whole. I won’t go on and on, you’ll have to read it…”

Calaya M. Reid [Editor]

POET-TREE

NATIONAL CONTEST WINNER

Figure 4 Haiku Lock

by MAD (Dennis Francis)

1.

do pedophile priests

use holy water to wash

off their penises?

3.

the black family

needs Darth Vaders—men who say:

“I am your father”

2.

dogs are man’s best friend

except for in this one place:

a civil right’s march

4.

what’s 41 shots?

It’s how NYPD BLUE

Keeps LAW & ORDER

What is Haiku?

Top 5 Books on Haiku

Haiku poems are a form of Japanese verse that consist of three unrhymed lines. In a pattern of 5-7-5, a haiku has a total of 17 syllables. They are usually short and to the point. A haiku is meant to represent a moment, sensation, impression or dramatization of a characteristic of nature. There’s no right or wrong way to write a haiku; the art of a great haiku lies within the poet.

Haiku: This Other World

Richard Wright, Robert L. Tener, Yodhinobu Hakatuni,

Yoshinobu Hakatuni (Editor), Julia Wright (Introduction)

September 1998

A Half-Moon Shining: Haiku from an African-American/Quaker Perspective

Dwight L. Wilson, Nancy Marstaller (Illustrator) Hardcover, January 1999

Writing and Enjoying Haiku

Jane Reichold, January 2003

The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku

William J. Higginson, Penny Harter, January 1992

How to Haiku: A Writer’s Guide to Haiku and Related Forms

Bruce Ross, February 2002